Jeff Kaplan
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'I would love that but we're cheap and poor': Jeff Kaplan speeds through everything players should know about his upcoming cowboy survival game, The Legend of California
Jeff Kaplan provided details about Kintsugiyama's upcoming open-world survival game, The Legend of California, set in gold-rush-era California. The game will feature a sandbox world with activities like trading, fishing, and ranch building, supporting up to 100 players on public servers with monthly resets. Kaplan also discussed potential future features like holiday events and pets, while acknowledging the game's current financial limitations.
Former WoW designer says Blizzard had no way to measure maximum player DPS while building early raids—so the studio enlisted its strongest sickos to grind target dummies
Former World of Warcraft designer Wyatt Cheng revealed that Blizzard Entertainment lacked robust player data for measuring maximum DPS during early raid development. To determine boss tuning, the studio had employees test classes against target dummies and manually calculated damage output. This led to the implementation of mechanics like Enrage timers to ensure players met DPS requirements, a practice that has become a staple in WoW raid design.
The Fortnite/Overwatch crossover means we're talking about Tracer's butt again
A crossover event between Fortnite and Overwatch has reignited discussions about Tracer's character model, specifically her posterior. This echoes a controversy from Overwatch's early days, where changes to her victory pose led to fan debate about her proportions. The article speculates whether Epic Games intentionally altered Tracer's appearance for the Fortnite version.
Fortnite’s Overwatch Butt-Buffing Conspiracy Theory Goes All The Way To The Very Bottom
A conspiracy theory has resurfaced regarding Tracer's victory pose in Overwatch, with players claiming her character model's posterior was reduced in size. Recent Fortnite skins featuring Overwatch characters, including Tracer, appear to show her original, larger proportions, reigniting the decade-old debate. Blizzard Entertainment has not yet commented on the matter.
Fortnite's Overwatch Butt-Buffing Conspiracy Theory Goes All The Way To The Very Bottom
A conspiracy theory regarding Tracer's appearance in Fortnite, specifically concerning her character model's proportions, has resurfaced. Players noted that Tracer's in-game model in Fortnite appears to have reverted to an earlier, seemingly larger, version of her physique, reigniting discussions that began nearly a decade ago when her original victory pose was altered by Blizzard. This has led to significant player engagement and discussion online, contrasting with the reception of other recent Fortnite character additions.
Tracer butt investigation follows Overwatch into Fortnite 10 years later, even after Jeff Kaplan said Blizzard…
A decade-old controversy surrounding Tracer's character model in Overwatch has resurfaced following the character's inclusion in Fortnite. This discussion reignites debates about character design, fan service, and developer intent, with former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan previously addressing and debunking myths about the pose change.
Xbox scraps Microsoft Copilot in yet another win for new CEO Asha Sharma
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has announced the discontinuation of Microsoft Copilot development for consoles and mobile, prioritizing community connection and addressing player and developer friction. This decision marks a significant shift away from AI integration for Xbox, contrasting with Microsoft's broader AI initiatives and the continued embrace of the technology by other industry figures and companies.
Ex-Escape From Tarkov devs will "ride the wave" of AI, but stress "the finishing touch must always come from a human hand"
Former Escape From Tarkov developers at Nomion Games believe AI can be a valuable tool in game development, likening it to a sculptor's chisel for generating ideas and handling monotonous tasks. However, they stress that the final creative decisions and finishing touches must always come from human hands to avoid genericism and maintain game identity. The studio aims to carefully integrate AI to boost efficiency without compromising core gameplay elements or risking player backlash seen in other titles.
Overwatch director confirms Nintendo Switch 2 port fixes “in next few days”
Overwatch director Aaron Keller confirmed that fixes for performance issues on the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game are being worked on and are expected to be deployed within the next few days. The initial release of the free-to-play title on the platform suffered from framerate problems.
Ex-Overwatch Director Says Tracer's Butt Was Never "Nerfed"
Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan stated that Tracer's butt was never 'nerfed' in the game, despite a controversy over a victory pose shortly after the original Overwatch's debut. Kaplan also discussed his departure from Activision Blizzard and shared his views on players criticizing games they haven't played.
Buffs, Nerfs, and Bugs
Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan clarified that Tracer's character model was never intentionally 'nerfed' in terms of her posterior. The article also touches on the game's ongoing balance issues and bugs.
'We Actually Didn't Nerf Tracer's Butt' — 10 Years On, Former Overwatch Boss is Still Being Asked About That Pose Change
Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan continues to be asked about a controversial pose change for the character Tracer, even a decade later. The discussion highlights the lasting impact of community reactions on character design and development decisions within the gaming industry.
'It stayed exactly the same': Jeff Kaplan takes us back to 2016 by confirming that Blizzard did not change the…
Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan has addressed the long-standing community discussion about Tracer's character model, confirming that Blizzard Entertainment never altered the size of her posterior. Kaplan stated that only one of Tracer's poses was changed shortly after the original Overwatch's release due to player feedback, and the model itself remained consistent. He also briefly mentioned his new multiplayer action-survival FPS game, The Legend of California.
10 years later, Overwatch co-creator Jeff Kaplan debunks the game's first controversy: "We actually…
Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan addressed a decade-old controversy regarding a victory pose for the character Tracer, often referred to as 'Tracer's butt-troversy.' Kaplan stated that fan recollections of the pose being altered were a Mandela Effect, as Blizzard never changed it.
Perfect Ten: MMOs and other online projects created by ex-Blizzard devs
This article highlights ten notable projects created by former Blizzard Entertainment developers and leads, focusing on MMORPGs and other online games. It details various ventures, including Jeff Kaplan's 'The Legend of California,' Greg Street's 'Project Ghost,' and Ben Brode's successful 'Marvel Snap.'
Former Overwatch lead Jeff Kaplan has "over 5,000 hours" in Rust and calls it "the pinnacle of PvP games," but his own survival game takes cues from World of Warcraft
Former Overwatch lead Jeff Kaplan expressed his deep admiration for Rust, calling it the "pinnacle of PvP games" after accumulating over 5,000 hours of playtime. While his new survival game, The Legend of California, draws inspiration from the genre, it will focus more on base-building and open-world multiplayer elements reminiscent of World of Warcraft, rather than Rust's intense PvP.
MMO Week in Review: EverQuest’s legacy, Camelot out of chains
This week's MMO news includes Daybreak's announcement of EverQuest Legacy, a spinoff of the classic game, and the surprise early access launch of Camelot Unchained after eight years in beta. Several other MMOs received updates, including V Rising, New World, and EverQuest II, while Epic Games faced significant layoffs due to overspending and a slump in Fortnite's performance.
Massively Overthinking: Should gamers shut up about MMOs they don’t play?
Former Blizzard developer Jeff Kaplan stated that gamers should refrain from commenting on games they have not played, a sentiment echoed by some and debated by others. While some agree that uninformed criticism is detrimental, others argue that feedback from non-players can still be valuable for game development and community discourse.
Former Overwatch lead Jeff Kaplan says he wants to put "Rust-like mechanics" in his new survival game "someday," but for now base-building is more like "Valheim and Subnautica"
Jeff Kaplan, former lead of Overwatch, is developing a Wild West survival game called The Legend of California with his studio Kintsugiyama. While he intends to add Rust-like PvP mechanics to optional servers in the future, the current base-building system is more akin to Valheim and Subnautica, focusing on utility and aesthetics rather than defense.
Overwatch creator tries showing off his new Rust-like open-world game but finds fellow dev stuck in a T-pose instead:…
During a 10-hour stream showcasing their upcoming open-world cowboy game, The Legend of California, Kintsugiyama co-founders Jeff Kaplan and Tim Ford encountered a humorous bug where a character model was stuck in a T-pose. The developers, including former Blizzard engineer Tim Ford, joked about the situation, with Kaplan humorously asking if Jira or the server would crash faster.
